Qiu Yue received the news of Xiao Lan's death. Her heart felt unbearably heavy. She went to the cold, damp prison cell where the girl had once been kept. The air was thick with moisture and silence. She stood there for a long time, her fingers tracing the rusted chains.
She realized why she had defended Xiao Lan so stubbornly: because in that girl, she saw her own reflection. By protecting Xiao Lan, she had been trying to protect the innocent, younger version of herself.
Who would have thought that a girl from a small village carried such deep secrets and dangerous thoughts? Suffering and pressure warp a person's perspective, forging their pain into ambition.
Qiu Yue did not believe Xiao Lan had simply died under mysterious circumstances. In her heart, she suspected that the Eldest Princess had ordered the shadow guards to silence the girl—driven by a blind, consuming jealousy.
She had lost the Eldest Princess's trust. The disappointment in the Princess's eyes that day still burned in Qiu Yue's memory like a scar that would never fade.
Standing in the empty cell, Qiu Yue clenched her fists, her voice a trembling whisper. "Xiao Lan…"
The one who deserved the most blame was Lang Huan. She couldn't even recall when she had begun to hate that brat. Feng Xiyan, Lang Ruhua, Xiao Lan… so many foolish women had died for nothing.
If Lang Huan had never stepped into their plans, perhaps their rebellion would have succeeded, and none of this pain would have happened.
The Eldest Princess treated everyone with cold distance, everyone except Lang Huan. Her gaze would soften only when she looked at the little duke. Each time Qiu Yue saw it, something twisted painfully inside her. She didn't understand love, nor did she wish to.
Since childhood, the Princess had taught her, "Love is a human's greatest weakness." Qiu Yue built her heart of steel. To her, affection was poison. Yet that same poison had slowly infected the Princess and from there, everything began to fall apart.
As she turned to leave the cell, something caught the light near the wall. She bent down and picked it up. Her breath caught. It was Xiao Lan's gold bangle. She used to keep it hidden beneath her sleeve. Qiu Yue held it tightly, then quietly slipped it into her own sleeve.
On her way back, she passed Xiao Lan's room. Something made her stop. She opened the door slowly. The air inside was stale, untouched since her death. She noticed many things inside that didn't belong to that girl at all.
Beneath a loose floorboard, she uncovered a hidden trove: talismans, jars of herbs, diagrams of the human body, and spellbooks covered in strange, icy symbols. It was Bai Han's secret collection.
Qiu Yue sat on the floor, reading a few pages. The techniques were ingenious, powerful beyond measure. What a pity, she thought, that such knowledge was used for evil.
Carefully, she gathered every scroll, talisman, and strange tool, placing them inside a wooden chest. Knowledge was like a blade. In the wrong hands, it destroyed. But in hers, it could become a shield.
From the courtyard outside came soft voices, carried by the cold evening wind. Through the open door, Qiu Yue saw Wu Ming speaking with the Eldest Princess.
The Princess's eyes looked gentler. A hollow ache spread in Qiu Yue's heart. Perhaps now… Feng Yao no longer needed her.
She made her decision. Without saying farewell, she closed the chest, tied it to her horse, and rode away. When she touched her sleeve, she realized the gold bangle meant to be buried with Xiao Lan had come with her, perhaps by fate.
Snow had begun to fall. Qiu Yue did not look back. She would travel far, study Bai Han's forbidden arts, and grow stronger. One day, she would return and give Lang Huan a lesson.
Wu Ming was deeply saddened to learn that Qiu Yue had left. She hurried to the Eldest Princess's room and reported that their commander had gone without saying goodbye.
The Eldest Princess stayed silent for a long moment. Then she said, calm and cold,
"Let those who wish to leave, leave. But once they walk away, their path to return will be closed."
With her nature, she could not allow Qiu Yue to return to her side. The human heart is unpredictable; who could say that girl wouldn't become a traitor and an enemy in the future? She could not afford to be careless. There was no anger in her voice, only a clear, final decision.
Tomorrow, they would begin their journey back to Luo City. The Eldest Princess had already envisioned what was to come. Before that, she ordered Wu Ming to depart for Ling Xiao Palace, carrying Lang Ruhua's ashes.
Of course, she also entrusted Wu Ming with several secret tasks: to investigate Ling Xiao Palace and Lang Huan herself.
After recent events, she had begun to suspect Lang Huan's origins. She wanted to understand Lang Huan's connection to Ling Xiao Palace. It was impossible for that brat to have gained such extraordinary power in a single night.
The Eldest Princess had always found what happened ten years ago extremely suspicious. Her assassins back then were the best, and they had reported that Ye Langhuan and his mother were dead, there was no reason their information should have been wrong. Yet, miraculously, the child had survived. And the one everyone believed to be a boy was, in truth, a girl.
Feng Yao found herself caught between belief and doubt. Perhaps it would be better if Lang Huan was not truly Ye Langhuan…
There were truths that were better uncovered with her own hands. After all, even Lin Ruochen had taken the secret to her grave, never speaking of what happened when they fell into the abyss together. Master Xuan Kai and the people of the Princess's Mansion had learned nothing either.
Xiao Bai was the only lead. And with Xiao Bai as guide, Wu Ming could reach Ling Xiao Palace.
---
"My Lord, I will depart to bring Miss Lang's ashes to their resting place."
"So soon?" Lang Huan's brows lifted. With the Eldest Princess's intelligence, there was no way this was simply about escorting ashes. The Princess was likely already suspicious of her origins.
Sooner or later, the truth would come out. Would Feng Yao be disappointed when she learned that, at the beginning, she had approached her only to seize the Duke of Huguo's power?
No, she believed in Feng Yao's love. Even if that woman was full of schemes, her feelings were real. And that was enough.
She let out a quiet chuckle, and Wu Ming, who had been standing in silence, could not help but look confused.
"My Lord… may I take Xiao Bai with me?"
Lang Huan smiled faintly. "Hmm, you won't be able to reach Ling Xiao Palace without Xiao Bai."
"Are there additional missions?" Lang Huan asked, though she already knew Wu Ming would never reveal it.
"Yes," Wu Ming replied, bowing her head. "Her Highness instructed me to bring trusted people to restore Ling Xiao Palace, so that your master and her ancestor may rest peacefully."
Lang Huan nodded. "Please keep the existence of Ling Xiao Palace a secret. It is a precious legacy of the Lang Clan."
"Of course, My Lord," Wu Ming said. "You have my word."
Before anything more could be said, the Eldest Princess's voice sounded from nearby. "Wu Ming, why are you not preparing yet?"
"Yes, Your Highness." Wu Ming bowed and excused herself quietly.
The room fell still. Lang Huan raised an eyebrow, pulling Feng Yao into her lap."Are you plotting something behind my back again?" she asked, half teasing, half serious.
"What are you talking about? I have no such wicked plans," Feng Yao replied with a mocking smile. "Actually, it's my father in-law who conspired with my imperial brother to plot against me."
"Duke of Huguo?" Lang Huan's expression tensed, worry flickering across her face.
"When we return to Great Qi, I will be arrested for killing my royal father, imperial sister, and brother," the Eldest Princess said casually. "And the people of Great Qi will call me the Demon Princess who murdered her own family for power."
"You didn't kill your father. And you already know they will accuse you, yet you still choose to return to Luo City?" Lang Huan asked, her brows drawing together. She would not allow others to stain her wife's name.
"I am the dignified Eldest Princess of Great Qi. Of course, I must return and face it." Her tone showed no trace of fear. "As you said, everyone already believes I am vicious and ruthless. Accusations like these won't damage my reputation any further."
She rested her head on Lang Huan's shoulder, lips curving.
"And besides, I know you'll protect me. Isn't my husband the Wolf Warrior, the one with unmatched martial skill?"
"Your Highness," Lang Huan said, serious to the point of stubbornness, "promise me you won't make plans on your own again. I'm your husband. You have to talk to me first. You have to listen to me."
The princess chuckled, seeing how her little brat was trying to dominate her.
"Alright, alright. I'm just a weak woman," she said in an innocent voice. "Naturally, I can only rely on my strong, dependable husband. I'll learn to be a virtuous wife, so that my husband will love me more and my father-in-law will accept me."
Lang Huan narrowed her eyes. She clearly didn't buy a single word. Her brows were still creasing. Feng Yao reached up and smoothed the line between them with her fingertips, smiling as if soothing an anxious child.
"Don't frown," she murmured. "If you keep doing that, you'll get wrinkles."